Z by Michael Thomas Ford

Author:Michael Thomas Ford [Thomas Ford, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-062-04313-9
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2010-06-28T16:00:00+00:00

13

On Monday Josh was at his locker, hanging up his coat, when Firecracker appeared. “Where were you yesterday?” he asked.

Josh shut his locker. “Why?” he said. He hadn’t spoken to Firecracker since the incident with their report, and things were still a little weird between them. In addition, he had a headache. He’d taken a Z the night before and spent almost all night playing the hologame with Charlie.

“I called,” Firecracker said. “Your dad said you were out taking pictures.”

“So?” said Josh.

Firecracker snorted. “Come on,” he said. “What do you think I am, stupid?”

“You said it, not me,” Josh snapped. He started to walk away.

“Hey!” Firecracker called after him. “What’s your problem?”

Josh ignored him. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to Firecracker. Last night he’d played a zombie for the first time in the hologame. Now he understood why Charlie liked it. The Z had really helped him get into the zombie mood. He’d seen things differently, felt things differently. Everything had been more intense—primal. He’d hunted the Torchers like they were animals, smelling them out and following the sound of their hearts beating. He’d killed four of them and gained sixteen experience levels.

But the Z had also kept him up all night, and now he was exhausted. He thought about taking half a Z this morning, but he didn’t want to waste it. They had practice that afternoon, and he wanted to save it for that.

Josh managed to avoid Firecracker the rest of day, though it meant skipping lunch and hiding out in the bathroom. But that was okay—it gave him some time to rest. He’d actually fallen asleep in the bathroom stall, waking up only when some seniors dragged a freshman into the bathroom and threatened to dunk his head in the toilet if he didn’t pay them off. The kid had screamed bloody murder, and Josh jolted awake thinking he was in the middle of a game.

Now the day was over and he was on the train heading to the Docklands. He couldn’t wait to see Charlie and to play with the rest of the team. He also wanted to find out if Stash was okay. He didn’t like the guy, but he was still a Torcher, and they had to look out for one another.

When he reached his stop, he got off and walked toward the wharf. He was thinking about the Z in his pocket, and not really watching where he was going. So when someone came up from behind and grabbed his arm, he yelled in surprise.

“It’s just me,” Firecracker said, holding his hands up.

Josh stared at him. “Are you following me?” he asked.

“I just want to talk,” Firecracker said. “What’s up with you?”

“Nothing’s up with me,” said Josh.

“Then what are you doing in the Docklands? Coming to help the homeless?” Firecracker stared at Josh, daring him to lie.

“It’s none of your business,” said Josh. “Just go home.”

“Or what?” Firecracker asked.

Josh felt himself getting angry. “Just go,” he said. “Leave me alone.”

He turned and started to walk away, hoping that Firecracker would give up and go the other way.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.